The Effects of Yoga on Arthritis

The Effects of Yoga on Arthritis

KARISA CLEMMEY

Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

This paper will address the benefits of using yoga as a way of treating arthritis. This paper examines the scientific studies done benefiting of yoga for people with arthritis. Though yoga is beneficial, incomplete research is an issue for the treatment of this disease. This paper addresses the reasons behind why yoga is useful for people with arthritis. When looking at the benefits of yoga on arthritis, one must examine the culture behind yoga to fully understand why it is used as a medical treatment.

INTRODUCTION

Arthritis is the inflammation of joints, which causes the joint to be hard to use.  The causes depend on what kind of arthritis one has. The cartilage in the bones can wear away, there could be a lack of the nourishing synovial fluid, your body can attack itself, there can be an infection, or a combination of other factors (Carenotes, 2012).  There are over a hundred forms of arthritis. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. This is when the cartilage that stops bones from rubbing against each other looses its’ elasticity. The main result of arthritis is joint pain (Carenotes 2012). Some symptoms include the inability to use the joint, feeling tired, poor sleeping habits, muscle aches, and difficulty mobilizing the joint. Arthritis can also affect the whole body and cause damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, skin, muscles, and bones. The most severe outcome of arthritis is limiting one’s ability to do physical activity (Carenotes, 2012).

            Arthritis is the main cause of disability in the United States There is no cure for arthritis. (Carenotes, 2012). Treatment options include: physical therapy, exercise and weight control, medications, and joint replacement surgery (Carenotes, 2012). Some of these can be very expensive and might not be a permanent solution. Another treatment option is yoga. Yoga has been proven to help patients suffering from arthritis by increasing their functionality and decreased disability (Telles, 2011)

            Yoga is a mixture of physical postures and breathing techniques that originated in India more than five thousand years ago (Bernstein). There are more than a hundred different styles of yoga that have been practiced (Bernstein). Yoga means “to join” together, since the focus is to link mind, body, and spirit.

STUDIES ON YOGA AND ARTHRITIS

           Shirley Telles wrote about an experiment where sixty-four patients with rheumatoid arthritis practiced yoga for a week. Rheumatoid arthritis is when the synovial membrane is swollen, and the bones wear away (Carenotes, 2012). The limitations of the experiment were that the participants willingly volunteered and this matters because willing volunteers attitude and feelings can affect the outcome of the experiment. The participants were put in a residential facility, fed a vegetarian diet, and practiced yoga breathing or pranayama. They practiced the ocean breath, alternative nostril breathing, and exhalation breathing with sounds. They also practiced loosing exercises such as flexion, rotation, and extension. The results of this study included a decrease in the Disability Index, which means the functionality of their joints improved. Another benefit was that the males hand grip strength increased. Also the rheumatoid factor levels were reduced, though the levels were way above normally. Although yoga did not magically fix the patients’ arthritis it did prove to be helpful after one week (Telles, 2011).

YOGA FOR SENIORS WITH ARTHRITIS

            Some forms of arthritis are most common in older adults, because of the “wear and tear” of the body due to aging. In the past thirty years, the American College of Rheumatology Guidelines has found that exercise is the most important treatment of arthritis. This is because movement of the joints cases the nourishing synovial fluid to lubricate the cartilage. “The goal of this pilot study was to assess whether group Yoga classes could reduce levels of pain, stiffness, and sleeplessness among seniors with osteoarthritis” (Hansen, 2010, p. 56). The experiment consisted of six weeks of yoga classes once a week to senior citizens in East Harlem. Twenty-three students participated in the study. The classes began with breathing exercises and then moved into gentle poses that were selected. The classes then practiced seating and standing poses then the relaxation pose of savasana. There was a significant improvement in the pain and stiffness of the elderly students, while only a small increase with sleeplessness (Hansen, 2010).

THERAPUTIC USE OF YOGA

            Research shows that yoga reduces pain and increases range of motion (Newton, 2008). It is considered a good “range-of-motion” exercise because it helps patients bring motion to their motionless arthritic bodies (Munson, 1995). “Arthritis restricts movement, yoga increases range of motion- these two were made for each other” (Newton, 2008, 1). It is scientifically proven that the movement from yoga brings fluid to the joint. The fluid nourishes the joint and allows movement without pain.

CULTURE OF YOGA FOR ARTHRITIS

            Since the beginning of yoga, people have seen it as a spiritual awakening that they use to help connect the mind, body, and spirit. Since yoga has a lot to do with cultivating the body, it has been used as an exercise to make the body more fit. The reasoning behind this was if when the body is fit, then the mind could be fit too. I think that this is important when looking at the benefits of yoga on ailments of the body. Mark Singleton, author of Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice, has recognized the importance of yoga shaping the body to be stronger and more powerful. He writes, “To a large extent, popular postural yoga came into being in the first half of the twentieth century as a hybridized product of colonial India’s dialogical encounter with the worldwide physical culture movement” (Singleton, 2010, 81). Yoga was born of out of the desires of a physical culture. Mujumdar, who was the author of the Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture in 1950 said,

            “You were meant to have a fine looking strong and super healthy body. God         

cannot be pleased with the ugly, unhealthy, weak, and flabby bodies. It is a sacrilege not to posses a fine, shapely, healthy body. It is a crime against oneself and our country to be weak and ailing. Our own future and that of your Nation depend upon good health and enough strength.” (Singleton, 2010, 81)

Yoga was seen as a tool to get the “perfect” healthy body that was so popular in India during this time.

Yoga has also been known to be a healing tool of the mind, body, and spirit. I think this is a prominent view of the east because the physical culture of India though that along with body strength came mental strength. Yoga was a practice for people inherent on having physical and mental health. Yogendra said, “Because of their inherent physiological and to some extent, psychological merit, the study of Asanas gained popularity in India and elsewhere (Singleton, 2010, 101). Asanas is a type of yoga.

With the practice of yoga, a healthy, mind, body and spirit develops. The spiritual part of yoga was also important in the east. People like the Aghoris gave up everything they had to become yogis and lead a life closer to God. They perform spiritual practices, prayers, and rituals. Bhakti yoga is a practice about desire. They become closer to God by love. In many types of yoga, yogis believe that one can be physically healed of ailments because of the healing powers of the Gods that they serve.

            From a western perspective, I think the culture is very science based. The west has advanced medical practices and a lot of money goes into research and development of finding cures for illnesses. We have come very far; though have not found cures for everything. We have found many treatments, and one of the treatments for arthritis has found to be yoga. It comes down to using yoga as exercise for the muscles that are not able to move. It is scientifically proven that yoga “tone[s] muscles and reduce[s] stiffness” (Francina, 2008, 74).

From a western perspective, yoga has become a tool for people to tone their body to make it more desirable and attractive. Attractiveness has become one of the biggest things that people today are striving for due to the media. Westerners think that being skinny and pretty are the epitome of attractiveness. “Yoga becomes infused with mainstream ideas related to the field of medicine, self-help, and therapy about what it means to be healthy, fit, beautiful, spiritual, and even worthwhile” (International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 2007, 52). People pay a lot of money every year for gym memberships, personal trainers, and exercise classes. I think arthritis is typically seen as something common in older people. I think older people are seen as less attractive in the west because they don’t have as fit youthful bodies, and their skin has wrinkles and lines. Arthritis is seen as a sign of age and unattractiveness. Yoga is seen as something that can help develop the “attractive” body that westerners desire, so it makes sense that it could help arthritis patients get into better shape.

DRAWBACKS TO YOGA AND ARTHRITIS

The biggest drawback to yoga and arthritis is that there is not enough concrete research on the subject. H. Ralph Schumacher Jr., M.D., says, “We haven’t found the perfect treatment” (Munson 1). Having more research on the topic and experiments with yoga on people with arthritis would increase the understanding of possible treatments.

            On a more personal note, people may not be able to get the proper treatment they require. Tiffany Gill, author of “’I know I have arthritis but I don’t know what type.” Understanding and knowledge of this chronic condition,’ says, “Arthritis is one example of a chronic condition where self-report estimates may be compromised because of the lack of comprehension or understanding associated with the diagnosis” (2010 1). People are not receiving treatment because they lack the understanding of their disease. If one does not know about their disease, how can they receive treatment?

            Yoga as a treatment for arthritis is both a cultural and scientific idea that has been accredited worldwide. India has recognized the physical healing powers of yoga and so has America, where it has been academically studied. Yoga has many benefits and the studies to back this up. The only downfalls to yoga treating arthritis are that more research could be done to make the most effective use of yoga. Other than that if someone is in pain, whether it is arthritis or something else, yoga is definitely the way to go!

 

References

Bernstein, S. What is Yoga? Retrieved from http: academicsearchpremier.com

Carenotes. (2012). Rheumatoid Arthritis. Retrieved from http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxyles.flo.org/

Francina, S. (2008). Ready, Set, Sit! Retrieved from http://ebsco.com

Gill, T. (2010) “I know I have arthritis but I don’t know what type.” Understanding and knowledge of this chronic condition” Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxyles.flo.org/

Hansen, E. (2010). Yoga for Seniors with Arthritis: A Pilot Study. Retrieved from     http:// www.ebsco.com

International Journal of Yoga Therapy. (2007). Space for Diverse Cultures. Retrieved from http://academicsearchpremier.com

Munson, M., Walsh T., Yeykal, T. (1995). Play Away Aches. Retrieved from http://www.academmicsearchpremier.com

Newton, R. (2009). Book Review. Retrieved from http://www.informaworld.com/WPOG

Singleton, M. (2010). Yoga body: the origins of modern posture practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Telles, S. (2011). Effect of one week of yoga on function and severity in rheumatoid arthritis. Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1756-0500/4/118